Automatic system for stopping trains



Y. BURGESS.

AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR STOPPING TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-13,!919.

Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

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.Y. BURGESS.

AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR STOPPING TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-13,1919.

1 ,41 1,078. I I Patented Mar. 28 1922.

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Z7 am 7min Y. BURGESS.

AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR STOPPING TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 13,1919.

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Y. BURGESS,

AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR STOPPING TRAINS.

APPLICATION HLEI) NOV.13| m9.

Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5- l l l l'l l l'l'l S:

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AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR STOPPING'TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, I919- Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- YORKE BURGESS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HOPKINS M. LOUDON, OF

- KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR STOPPING TRAINS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 28, 1922 Application filed November 13, 1919. Serial No. 337,699.

T 0 (iZZ whom itma concern:

Be it known that I. Yonnr. Bcnonss, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Chicago,.in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Ii-nprovements-in Automatic Systems for Stopping Trains, of which the following. is a specification.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an automatic system for stopping a train when conditions are present that would render further progress dangerous.

Anotherobject is to provide automatic train stopping means in cooperation with the visual signal system, compelling cessation of train movement upon the occurrence of a visual signal to that effect.

Another object is to provide a system and apparatus which, in connection with a-systern of fixed, block and interlocking signals, will. automaticallyapply the brakes if the engineer fails to obey thesignal indication.

Another object is to' provide a system which will automatically apply the brakes of theztrainii' the visualsignal fails to indicate the condition requiring application of the brakes.

Another object is to produce an automatic train stopping system in which all of the parts are on a'constanttest, and which. will go to safety and stop the train it there is an extraneous break, cross or ground in the circuit,'or other failure of electric energy in the signal system or any. defects in the mechanical construction.

Another object is to'provide a system in which the brakes cannot be released after being automatically-set until the train has been brought to a full stop.

Another object is to provide a system controllable only through-a selected locomotive, wlien'two or more locomotives are connected to the same train.

Another object. is to provide 1 a system which is operable when the locomotive is 7 brakes. is indicated by 20 shownconnected moving forwardly or rearwardly.

Another object is to provide 'a' system for stopping. a train which will not interfere with the visual or interlocking signals, when the latter indicate safety, and'which willnot.

perform its clesiredfunction at that time.

Other further and more specific objectsof the invention will become readily apparent,

to persons skilled in the art in consideration of: the following description, when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein Fig. 1 is an elevation of a locomotive showing a part of the apparatus, included in the system, attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the tender of the locomotive showing part of the appara-tus in end elevation. V

F ig. 8 is a diagrammatic view of an air line of a locomotive adapted to operate the signals.

Fig. at isa similar view of the air line of the second. locomotive attached to the same train and disabled: from operating signals.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view oi a three way valve used on the locomotives in the air line.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the contact rail placed along the track and adapted to impart current to the train stopping mechanism located upon the locomotive.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of said rail and one of its supports.

Fig. 8 is a cross-section'of the same.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation oi? the mechanismused to automatically open the air lineto sto 3 the train.

Fig. 10 is enlarged detailsectional view taken on line 10ll)- of. Fig. 9.

Fig. 11' shows the-relative position of the. contact rail, indicated in Figure 6, with reference to thestopping mechanism shown on Fig. 9, when the latter is about'to mount the rail.

Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view of a cir- The I train stopping pineoha-nism for automatically opening the. air line to .applythe to-thetender *21' of the locomotive; the en; gine portion 22 being connected to'the ten= der by the. usual flexible conne tions for the air line 23. The air linesection 24: is shown associated with'the tender and the air line section-25 is shownassiociated with themgins of the locomotive.=These port ons of the air lineare shown broken in two, to in;

dicate that they may extend a further distance than shown diagrammatically in F igures 3 and 4.. In Fig. 3 the air line is the one which controls the train while in Figure 4 the valves are shown set in such way as to disable the second locomotive with respect thereto but .to preserve the air line complete through the second locomotive for the purpose of controlling the train by the first locomotive. The stopping mechanism 20 consists of a frame 26 supported on the plate 27 which depends from the tender 21 of locomotive, and secured thereto by means of bolts 28 passing through the flange 29 and by nuts 30. The frame 26 is provided with an upturned bracket portion 31, having a central hub 32 for a bearing, for a verticall r movable tube 33. Another hub 34 serves as a guide for the tube and is secured'to a cross-piece 35. The tube 33 extends to the shoe 36 and is secured thereto as shown in Fig. 10, by a flange 37 and screws 38. The shoe 36 is held in proper position by means of links 39 that are pivoted thereto and are provided in their upper endswith elongated slots 41, that receive a headed bolt 42.

Now, from theforegoing description it will be manifest that the tube may be moved vertically in the bearings 32 and 34, and that the links 39 will hold the shoe in the aligning position shown during such movement; the slots 41 permitting the upward movement of the shoe. The springpressed brushes 43 may be secured to the frame and serve for brushing off the upper surface 44 of the contact rail 45..

The frame 26 is insulated from the downwardly depending plate 27 by bolts 46 so that the electric current may pass from-the contact rail to the shoe 36 and through the solenoid or electro-magnet47, by wire 48 and then to the ground or frame of the locomotive, as at 49.

A link 50 is pivoted to the vertical tube 33, as at 51, and also to the lower end 52 of the armature support 71 of the solenoid 47.

This link, 50, is also pivoted to the frame 26, as at 54, so that when the shoe '36 is raised, the core support 71 in guide 7 O is positively moved downwardly leaving the core 53 in its elevated positionwhen the solenoid is cncrgized and the core 53 is such that when the solenoid 47 is electrically energized, thecore will. be pulled upwardly thereby and lift the weighted lever 54. When the shoe 36 is in its lower position, as shown in Fig. 9, it supports the lever 54 1n a horizontal position,

because it positively lifts this lever through the core 53 and its support 71. The lever is pivoted as at 55 and is provided withan 'outward weighted end 56, immediately above the nonmagnetic attachment 53 tothe core 53, sothat when the support 71 of the core is removed,-the lever will take the dotted line pos tion shown in Fig, 9, The weight 56, of

valve 66, shown more clearly in Fig. 5.

the pivoted lever 54, is sufficient to raise its latch end 57 when the solenoid 47 is not enfront end of the valve lever 58 is provided with a valve portion 59 which normally closes a port in the end of the tube-60. The lever 58 is pivoted, as at 6]., and is provided with a weighted part 62 so that when it is unsupported it will fall away from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 9, in which position it closes the port in the tube 60. The latch lever 54, supports the valve lever 59 in its operative position and when the latch lever is raised to dotted line position, the valve lever 58 will fall from the position in which it is normally supported into the dotted line position, thereby opening the port in the tube 60. The tube is connected by conduit 62, to the upper end of the vertically movable-tube 33 as at 63. It is also connected to the air line branch 64 of the locomotive, by means of the conduit 65.

The air line branch 64 is connected at each end of the locomotive, to the main air line 2425. The main air line, at each end of the locomotive is provided with a three if ay he valve 66, at the front 67 of the engine, shown in Fig. 3, is closed, but it permits open communication with the branch line 64, while the valve 66, at the rear end of the tender of the locomotive is open, with respect to the main-air line, but it is closed with respect to the branch 64. Now, if the engine is moving rearwardly, the valve 66 in the rear of the tender should be opened, or it would occupy the position shown with respect to the valve 66 in the front of the engine,

and this valve would occupy the position shown by the valve in the rear of the engine so that the locomotive may operate in either direction with respect to my stopping mechanism. The ordinary two-way valves, as 68, are to be employed as usual, in the air line at the front of the'tender and rear of the engine, respectivelya Now, in

looking at Fig. 4,it will be seen that the second engine'would be incapacitated because the branch air line 64 is entirely shut off from the main air line 24-25 at both of its terminal ends; I I

Now, from the foregoing information, it will be manifest, to persons skilled in the art that if the solenoid 47' be demagnetized, when the shoe 36 israised upon thetop surface of the rail 44. that the core 53 will move downwardly in the guide 70, (which is a tube within the solenoid 47 inasmuch as its support 71 has been withdrawnby the down- Ward movement of the end 5201: the lever 50 thereby causingthe weighted lever 54 to move down to the dotted line position, and

*unlatchthe valve lever 58, thereby opening the port in the tube 60 and opening the air 7 line, whereby the brakes of the train will be applied. The core of the solenoid 17, supports on its upper end a piece of nonmagnetic material 53 such as brass, or the 10 like, and the core 53 is supported at its lower The contact rail has in its construction,

.reiterablv, two lateral webs 73 and 74. and L 7 supported in the support 7 6, as a-t77. The contact rail is held in. the position shown in Fig. 6 by a series of the supports and by bolts 79 that are'passed through :the supports. The supports are spacedv apart along the 1011- gitudinaldimensions of the contact rail, and each support is provided with a definitely located, relatively small cross-sectional area, by'the transverse slots 80, so that if asupport breaks at any point, it will break at this, the weakest point in the structure. The upper surface 110i the-rail is,prei'erably, made of asheet'ot' aluminum secured at the side'of the webs 73'and 71, as by screws 81. The aluminum provides a surface that will not rust and which will make ready contact with the shoe 36 of'the stopping mechanism 20. To indicate danger, in event ot' breaking of any of the standards 76, a circuit ismade through the series of standardsor supports by the wire 82, connected to the upper end of thefirst standard, as at 83', and then to the lower end of the next standard, as at 81-, and so on throughout the series of standards, so that the attenuated parts between the transverse slots will-be in series in the circuit. Now, in event of any of the standards breaking betweenthe transverse slots 80, the circuit just described will be thereby opened, so that when the shoe 36 rides upon the contact rail, the electro-magnet 4E7, having lost its current, the latch lever 51 will move downwardly and release the valve 60 lever 58, thereby opening the air line and applying the train brakes, at the same time the visual signal will be set'inthe next block 7 in the manner'to be hereafter described.

' In Fig. 12 is shownthe usual visual signal system, showing the track divided into two a vertical leg T5, the latter being insulatedly' blocks and showing the mechanism common to one block. There is at each end of the block a semaphore 90, held in safety posi tion by an electro-magnet or other electric motor 91. This magnet or motor, is energized by a battery 92 shown located at the other end of the block. The circuit, including thebatteryand the magnet 91, is con. trolled by another magnet 93, this magnet, however, is energizedby a track circuit consisting of thewires 91 and 95 connected to the track rail-96 and 97, respectively. An-

other battery 98 at the other end of the block, is connected between the rails of the respective block, as at 99- and 100. Two cir cuit closing tongues or armatures 101 and 102, are normally controlled by the magnet 93 and hold the circuit closed, asv at 103 and 10 1, respectively. Twoline wires 105 and 106 extend" from block toblock, supported on poles 107 and cross-armslOS. The wires 105 and 106 are connected by wires 109 and 110 to the contact point- 104 and 103, respectively, so that so long as the magnet 93 is energized, the circuit 105 and 106 is closed through the magnet 91 at the remote end of the block, and the sen-iaphore controlled by SOT the magnet 91, at said end of the block, in- I dicatessafety. So soon as the locomotive enters the-block, however, it short circuits the rails 9697 and the battery 98 nolonger energizes the magnet 93, the result is that the tongues 101 and 102 will leave their circuits 103 and 101,1'espe'ctively, and open the circuit through the magnet 91, setting the semaphore 90, at the r'emoteend of the block, to danger.- v

Now. the circuits necessary for my train stopping system operate very well in cooperation with the circuits just describedfor manipulating the visual signals;

In Fig. 13, I have indicated the circuit shown in Fig. 12, and I have also indicated the additional circuits necessary for my system, in heavy lines, so as to distinguish bctweenthe two circuits.

In Fig. 13', I have placed another tongue I or auarmature 112 to be operated by magnet-93. 'T-lns armature closescircuit at 113 through .w-ire 114', which leads to the conwire 120to the rail 96. The wire 95, shown in Fig. 12, as connected with'magnet 93, is disconnected trom 'the rail 97 and connected to the magnet 115. So long. as the magnet 115 holds the, circuit closed by attracting its .armatures,.or tongues 116, 117 and 118, maintaining the contacts 121, 122 and 123 .closed, the apparatus will indicate safety, and the brake applying mechanism is inert.

The circuit necessary for the tram stopping ilPl 'JflltltllS, begins at the rail 97, as at 125,

. in the airline, closed, and the train brakes will not therefore be automatically set. It the circuit just described be open, however, when the shoe 36 is on the contact rail 415, then the magnet 17 will be de-energized, and the brakes will be applied. When the shoe is not on the contact rail 15, it mechanically holds the air valve 59 closed and when it is on the contact rail it withdraws its support from the valve, but the solenoid 17 becomes immediately energized and maintains the valve closed it its circuit conditions are right. a

The circuit through the magnets 93 and 115 is held closed by the track battery 98, of

the preceding block, and so soon as the train leavesthat block, magnets 93 and 115 will be re-energized and close contacts 103, 10st, 113, 121, 122, and 123, thereby re-establishing the circuits of the adjacent block, as shown in'Fig. 13.

The circuit through the contact rail supports is shown more clearly in Fig. 6, is also shown in diagrammatic representation in Fig. 13, energized by a battery 135, which holds the magnet 136 closed. So long as the circuit through this contact rail is perfect, as when the rail supports are unbroken, the solenoid circuit will be closed and controlan electrical connection with the contact 138,

7 thus closing a circuit over the wire 139, to

the track rail 97, as at 140, and overthe wire 141 to the terminal 142 of the magnet 115 and over the'wire 143, through the magnet 93, and over the wire 14:4 to the rail '96, as at 145. This will cause the magnets 93 and 115-to be de-energized and show the visual signal and operate the train stopping mechanism.

.ticed that the batteries. are in series relation when in operation, when the two batteries,

and the circuits connected thereto, are inv proper condition, they are then capable o't energizing the solenoid 417 sufiicientlyto hold up its armature, or core for the purpose described.

. While I have herein'shown a single'embodiment of my invention for the purpose-of clear disclosure, it will be manifest to persons skilled in the art that many changes may be made in-the arrangement and disposition of the parts within the scope ot the appended claims, and furthermore that the system for automatically stopping the trains may be used in connection with the visual signal or separately. J

Having described my invention, 1 what I claim is,

1. A system of the character described, having in combinative association with two locomotives, and in which both locomotives are provided with apparatus to ELUtOm tl'. cally set the brakes by opening the airline; a branch air line extending from end to end, of each locomotive; a valve in each branch line to be automatically opened to stop said locomotive and hand operable valves to cut out the branch air line of either locomotive without interrupting the main line of said tives in which both locomotives are provided with an apparatus to automatically set the brakes by 'openingthe air line; a branch air line extending from end to end of each locomotive; a valve in each branch line to be antomatically opened to stop said locomotives and hand operable valves to cut out the branch air line at both ends of either locomotive without interrupting its main air line. 1

In testimony whereof I hereunto subscribed my name.

YOBKE BURGESS. 

